By Chris Meyers/staff writer 

    It’s usually an annual award reserved for the one Democrat who has devoted a lifetime of work and dedication to furthering the party.
    On Saturday night, though, it was a toss-up for Democrats of the 3rd District and they decided that two were worthy of the J. Edward Roush Lifetime Service Award.
    Charlie Belch and Doloris Coulter Cogan were selected to receive the award for their work done throughout their lives for fellow Democrats.
    Third District Treasurer Randy Schmidt, in presenting the award to Belch, said the recipient had done some incredible tasks in helping the party and was candidate for mayor of Fort Wayne at one time and had been involved in politics since the 1960s.
    Schmidt said that evening’s event could be attributed in a large part to Belch, who helped organize it.
    Belch was brief in his acceptance of the award, saying he had “gratitude to all and brevity as well.”
    In presenting the award to Cogan, Elkhart County Democratic Chair Shari Mellin said Cogan was a long-time activist and had spoken on numerous topics throughout her life.
    Cogan also had a book recently published called “We Fought the Navy and Won: Guam’s Quest for Democracy,” which details the island country’s quest for independence.
    Cogan was also brief in her acceptance, saying that open discussion of topics and dialogue were crucial to the survival of democracy.
    “Democracy is built on dissent. You don’t force democracy from the top down,” she said.